Meet: Haley Dennis

interviews

Oct 29

Movement Director & Choreographer

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Join us as I chat with one of my closest friends, Haley Dennis. We chat about Haley’s origins with dance, moving to LA, what inspires her, and so much more.

I kind of don't even know where to start. Part of me thinks we should actually start at the beginning, even before we met IRL — when we were connecting over Facebook Messenger. That’s literally how people talked before. Why weren’t we texting? We were literally Facebook DMing.

No, we did not. I don’t even remember when we stopped using Facebook Messenger. But we stayed there for a while. That was our spot — that’s where we chatted, that’s where we lived, that’s how we communicated.

I know. I guess it was because Instagram had only started a few years prior, and I don’t even think there was a DM feature at the time. And on Facebook, you could see a person’s entire life and kind of suss them out, which I guess we had to do in the beginning.

Yeah. I don’t even remember us being on Instagram much in the beginning of our friendship. Which was ten years ago…

I know. That’s so sickening. I was actually talking to this girl in a workout class the other day, and we were saying how crazy it is how much time has passed — not just since high school but even since college. And when people ask when I moved to New York, I’m like, “Oh, not that long ago, 2019,” and then realize, oh wait, I’m in my sixth year.

That’s a long time. And now you’re gonna come experience LA for a hot minute.

I know. Which is insane to think about. Okay, can you talk to me about college? You went for dance — what was the official title of your major?

I majored in Dance. I also minored in Cultural Studies. I took a lot of philosophy and visual media/cultural theory classes alongside my academic dance courses. My thesis focused on dramaturgical writing — writing for performance and research — but I was on the choreographic track. Going to college for dance didn’t feel like a huge transition because I went to a performing arts high school. I was used to doing academics alongside dance classes. It was obviously more intense, but it prepared me for the rigor and for academic dance classes — history, writing, and performance studies.

Chicago was an interesting place to study those forms. I knew I wanted to be in a city and I wanted to pursue a career in dance. I wasn’t fully sold on Chicago initially but stuck it through and ended up staying because the faculty at the dance program had such interesting histories — the companies they’d danced in, the programs they’d been part of. It felt like a well-rounded program and allowed me to find my artistic voice while exploring a place I hadn’t spent time in.

In terms of choreography — obviously, you grew up dancing — when did you realize you wanted to follow the path of choreography? Because now you do so much movement work. I’m curious about the split from being a dancer to being a choreographer.

Thankfully, I was exposed to choreography classes in high school, so I got that exposure as an early teenager — making work in addition to performing it. But at some point, I realized I didn’t want to just perform other people’s work and be a body for someone else’s vision. I loved performing and being involved in repertory pieces with my classmates, but overall, I wanted to make my own work.

When you create something and see it happen in real time, the emotional response is so distinct. It snowballs — you feel more confident, you’re forced to make decisions, both micro and macro. You’re guiding other people, facilitating so much at once. When I’m consistently making work, I feel the most confident in my sense of self.

Can you talk a bit more about movement direction? For someone who doesn’t know what that is, how would you describe it?

I was recently asked this for a magazine feature, so I’ve been exploring the language more thoroughly. Essentially, I’ve always identified as a dancer and choreographer, but there came a moment when I knew I didn’t want to go the traditional company route. The economics of that structure just aren’t sustainable anymore. In the ’60s or ’70s, you could be in a company full-time. People went to see live dance a lot more. That’s changed. I do sense a resurgence of those types of spaces popping up more and more but that hasn’t always been the case.

Movement direction, for me, emerged as a response to that — I wasn’t willing to let go of dance, but I also love film and cinema deeply. In high school, I thought I’d be a dance filmmaker. There’s something about documenting movement — preserving something that can feel so fleeting.

The role of a movement director is still vague and evolving. My colleagues and I are figuring it out in real time. It can range from music videos, feature/short films to fashion editorials. Sometimes I’m working with dancers; sometimes I’m working with actors or models who aren’t dancers at all.

My elevator phrase is: If the director handles the big picture, I focus on the minutiae — how someone walks across a room, how their posture or gestures communicate character. Those subtle shifts can completely change how someone is perceived and how a creative message comes across to viewers..

That’s fascinating. How long have movement directors been part of film and video work? Is it a common thing for directors to hire one?

Not long at all. It’s not automatic. I’ve been lucky to work with directors who understand what I’m able to bring to a project. Choreographers have been around forever, but “movement direction” as a title is newer. People who’ve worked with one see the value and start spreading the word.

There’s overlap, but a movement director isn’t always the same as a choreographer. A choreographer often teaches sequences and set/ structured movement. A movement director helps an actor or subject feel embodied — focusing on posture, gestures, and physical storytelling rather than dance steps. Sometimes these modalities exist alongside choreographic or more “dance” forms and those projects always feel extra exciting.

Love that distinction. Okay, so you’ve worked in Chicago and LA — what are the differences?

My career started in Chicago. The first projects where I was credited as a movement director were there. Moving to LA was about sustainability — there’s simply more work here. But Chicago has this experimental, gritty energy and a rich history in both film and dance. The projects there felt intimate — maybe because I was younger and learning in real time. Those experiences gave me the confidence to hit the ground running.

I feel like you’ve really bloomed in LA. You seem so grounded every time I visit.

It’s very different here. But funny enough, a lot of my LA friends are people who also lived in Chicago. The Chicago-to-LA pipeline is real. Chicago is such a great jumping-off point for creative people — it lets you make weird, experimental work before refining it.

The scale here is bigger, obviously. LA feels like multiple cities in one. Chicago is compact and familiar; LA is sprawling. You can daydream more in Chicago — public transit gives you that space. In LA, daydreaming looks different because driving is such a huge component.

I get that. In New York, I get so many ideas from walking — running into people, wandering. Do you think in the car like that?

I could definitely daydream more. I live in a walkable part of LA, thankfully, so I do walk often and still run into people all the time. It’s funny because LA has this reputation for isolation, but I don’t find that true.

Exactly. Everyone says LA is lonely or that no one leaves their house, but every time I visit, it’s the complete opposite.

Wouldn’t it be funny if that rumor was planted to keep people away?

Honestly, I could see it.

Every city has pros and cons. When people say LA is isolating, I think the inverse is that it forces you to build community — to reach out, to make plans.

So where are you finding inspiration now?

Lately, editorial fashion work. Campaigns that feel inherently physical — where posing and movement are intentional. I try not to look at a ton of dance for inspiration or when I’m preparing for a project because I don’t want my work to feel too referential. I want things to come from elsewhere — film, photography, art, books, observing how people interact in the wild. I’ve been spending more time offline — in bookstores, libraries. Movies, too, of course. That’s my favorite screen.

What’s the last movie you saw that inspired you?

The Lovers on the Bridge (1991) at Los Feliz 3 — 10 p.m. on a Wednesday. I went last minute, and it was incredible (shout out to my friend John for dragging me, because he knew I would geek out).

The Way We Were (1973) at Vidiots — Gut Wrenching and glorious. And I recently watched Women He’s Undressed, a documentary about Ori Kelly, the Australian costume designer who did over 250 films — Some Like It Hot, Casablanca, all that. The reenactments were corny, but the archival footage was amazing. I’m such a nerd for Golden Age Hollywood.

I just want to watch a movie with you now. Do you have a favorite theater in LA?

The Vista. Tarantino owns it now. It’s been redone beautifully — one screen, great popcorn, legroom, and they screen on film. It’s heaven.

Speaking of popcorn — what’s your go-to movie snack?

Popcorn and Diet Coke. I won’t go out of my way for candy, but if someone else gets it, I’ll share. Peanut M&Ms are elite.

What about Twizzlers?

I can get down with a Twizzler too. One of my besties Charlotte loves Redvines though and we love to note how they taste like lipstick (not derogatory). But popcorn is my main event.

You could be Miss Popcorn for Halloween.

I’ll just wear a yellow silk dress and call it buttered popcorn couture.

Extra butter.

Exactly.

Any final words, Miss Ley?

Support your local theaters. Go out and hit the dance floor — ideally both in the same day — and think of me.

Let’s Get Deep

What’s your theme song? (A song that you can’t stop listening to that totally describes the current time of your life?) What It Feels like For a Girl - Madonna & Heaven Can Wait - Judie Tzuke

Night In or Night Out?

Out

When do you feel most you?

When my urge to dance and be in my body hits me like a wave and the thought becomes my sacred act / When I’m with the people I love - martini in one hand, cigarette in the other / When I sit down at the movie theater.

What’s something you’re obsessed with right now?

My barre workout classes…I’m a cranky baby if I can’t go & it’s slightly insufferable how reliant I am on them in terms of my mood and sleep these days (I’ve become one of those people).

Call or Text?

Call

When was the last time you cried?

Today lol - been on a bit of a daily kick ;)

When’s the last time you laughed (like a big belly laugh)?

I was at a diner with my friend at 2am and it was chaos city left & right. As we were leaving, I was told very subtly to turn around, in which there was a man dressed in regular pedestrian apparel but was wearing the most cartoonish fury clawed slippers. It was perfection.

Current favorite follow on social media?

@wernerherzogofficial / @isabelle.w.e.n.z.e.l

Lastly, what’s one thing you would tell your 16-year-old self?

That being tall is a gift not a curse!